


Escape

by ambpersand



Category: Hunger Games (2012), Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drama, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-09-27
Updated: 2012-09-27
Packaged: 2017-11-15 04:09:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/522990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ambpersand/pseuds/ambpersand
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Madge Undersee wakes up in District 13 only to find out that her father has smuggled her out of her home and District 12. In an attempt to save her and as many District 12 citizens as he can, he sacrifices himself to stay with his wife only after making sure his daughter is safe. Now she must survive on her own while no one from her home realizes she's alive. Slight AU.</p><p>Rated M for eventual adult themes and language.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Deal

The night air surrounding the house of District 12's Mayor seemed calm and serene, with insects chirping in harmony and a cool breeze rustling the barren bushes that grew outside. However, the air inside the home was tense with hushed voices and whispers that filtered through the vents, originating from the study on the second floor.

"You know how much relies on this, Otto." The mayor spoke to the Capitol man sitting before him.

Otto sighed and ran his hand through his greying hair. "Yes, I know. But you have to realize that I have limited resources. The government in District 13 isn't keen on me doing favors for anyone, let alone those they don't trust. You've done well in convincing everyone you're on President Snow's side throughout this, but how much longer can it last? Besides that, what can you give to 13 that would make them want to help you?"

"I have information," the mayor replied, "about citizens in 12 who would be more than willing to join the cause against the Capitol. I know who would be good in helping strategize the army, and I know for a fact that the people in 13 aren't going to turn down working hands and the potential to expand their numbers." He gave Otto a pointed look, referencing to the population problem 13 had experienced. "You need us, and we're the easiest district to ally with right now. With the others shut down and cut off, it's only going to get harder, especially with what's about to happen in the arena."

Otto kept silent, casting his eyes to the floor, unable to decide. It was only then that the mayor raised his voice at him, and continued on. "They're going to bomb us, Otto. It's either that, or they cut us off and the entire district will starve to death. The Capitol is ready for something big to happen, and District 12 will be the easiest to blame. They're going to try to exterminate us because Snow doesn't like how things have gotten out of hand and he's going to make a show of the entire thing. We'll be an example for the rest of the districts, his way of saying 'Don't step out of line, or else your fate will be the same.' I have a duty to this district just as much as I do to the Capitol. I need to save these people and you are my only hope of doing that." He was angry at Otto's resistance to helping him when he was so willingly providing information and potential soldiers for the rebellion.

It only took a few moments before Otto spoke. "Alright, you have a deal. I can't get anyone out during the bombings, though, it would be much too dangerous. You'll need to find a way to get them out to a safe spot where we can get to them once things settle down. Send a message to your allies in the district directing them where to go, and find a way to get it to me as well. It's going to be dangerous, not only during the bombings but during the wait until we can reach them. I won't lie to you- many will not make it. The Capitol is going to be thorough. Wait," He paused, confusing drawing across his face. "What about your wife? In her condition, she won't survive any of this."

The mayor squared his shoulders. "That brings me to my second request. You're right; my wife will not make it. If she cannot go, neither can I. I will not leave her to die alone while I run away with my district. The moment Madge sees me staying behind, she will as well. Her stubbornness will cause her to sacrifice herself and I will not allow that, Otto, I can't."

"Where are you going with th-" Otto spoke, confused, but the mayor cut him off with a wave of his hand and continued on.

"I need you to get her out beforehand. Before the bombs come, we both know when the explosion will happen in the arena and I want Madge out long before that happens. I know that Plutarch can spare a personal hovercraft, and I have everything planned." He spoke with finality, daring Otto to deny him. His days in Panem politics had hardened him from a soft spoken, shy man to a determined politician.

Otto simply nodded, and said "What can she do for 13? They won't allow us to bring someone in who cannot contribute."

"She can tutor, or help in the hospital ward. She's gotten high marks in school her entire life, and she's read every book in this house. She would be beneficial to the schooling system in 13, and wouldn't need any training. She's been administering morphling to my wife for the last 6 years, and has an eye for it. You can trust her to give shots, administer medicine, or help with sick children. She's polite, educated, and friendly. She will thrive in 13, trust me."

After a moment of decision, Otto agreed. "You have a deal. I will send someone to fetch her the night before. Plutarch will disguise it as a new crew of peacekeepers. Have her ready by 10 P.M."

The two men shook hands, and Otto disappeared into the dark night without another word.

* * *

Days later, Madge Undersee sat with her father at the dinner table, a rare occurrence for the two of them, while they ate. Tonight he chatted with her about school, her friends, her life, asking questions and being kinder than he had in years. While it wasn't unusual for him to be kind, she had gotten used to his cold and distant demeanor since her mother had gotten ill.

"You know, your mother and I are both very proud of you. You've grown up to be such a beautiful young woman with so much potential and purpose." Her father spoke to her in a soft voice, his eyes beginning to glisten.

Madge paused. "Thank you, dad. I don't mean to be rude, but are you doing okay? Is everything alright?" It wasn't like her father to get sentimental or to shed tears for any occasion.

"Yes, dear. I've just realized recently how much you've blossomed and I'm so sorry to have not been there for you these past years. Just know that I love you no matter what happens, okay?"

Madge nodded. Assuming her father was regretting his absence over the last few years, she smiled and responded, "Yes, I know. I love you too."

Finishing his dinner, he clapped his hands together. "Now, how about we have some tea? I believe I have some nice lavender tea saved that your mother used to love."

"That would be lovely. I'll clear the plates." Madge began to stand to collect her father's empty plate, but he stopped her.

"No, no. You just sit and relax. You usually do the dishes after your dinner, so it's my turn now." He grabbed both plates from the table as Madge sat, perplexed at her father's sudden helpful and attentive attitude.

She heard him quietly clinking the dishes in the sink, and the whistle of the teapot. Moments later he emerged with two cups filled with tea and set one in front of her. "Here you go, now I added some honey for you because that's how your mother used to drink it." He gave her a small smile. She accepted the cup gratefully; happy to have a change from the usual bland tea she drank. She enjoyed sweet things, like honey and strawberries, but forced herself to ration them out so she didn't overindulge. This was an unexpected treat.

She drank the tea quickly, using it to warm her hands and her insides from the cool air in the dining room.  _I should put more coal on the stove to warm it up down here_ she thought to herself, always in the habit of cleaning, cooking, and taking care of the home since no one else could, or was around to. The sweetness of the tea had a tangy aftertaste, but continued to drink unaware. Soon, her eyelids grew heavy and she yawned, setting down her now empty cup on the mahogany table in front of her.

Stretching her arms above her head, she told her father "I think I need to go lay down. I must have gotten out of bed too early this morning." Her lips felt heavy as she struggled to talk.

Her father nodded and stood up, walking to her and kissing her lightly on the forehead. "I'll walk you up to bed, darling. How about we stop and see your mother? She should be awake, and I know she was asking for you this afternoon. She would love to see you."

Madge nodded and yawned again, letting her father guide her out of the living room and up the stairs to the second floor where her mother slept. As they reached her room, Madge rubbed her eyes in an attempt to ward off the sudden sleepiness that had overtaken her.

Upon seeing her mother awake and alert, Made smiled widely. It wasn't often she got to see her mother lucid. "Momma! How are you feeling today?"

Her mother smiled in response and sat up in her bed. "I'm feeling well today, darling, thank you. I'm so happy your father brought you up. Are you going to bed?"

Madge nodded and yawned once more, unable to keep it hidden. "Yes, I'm so tired tonight. Dad and I had dinner together, it was wonderful. I wish you could have joined us."

"Yes, as do I." Her mother rested her hand on Madge's as she sat down on the bed next to her. "Well, I won't keep you up any longer, you need your rest. I love you, darling. So, so much." She reached up to kiss Madge on the forehead, and gave her another smile, this one wavering.

Madge stood and kissed her mother on the cheek. "I love you too, momma. Goodnight."

Her father walked her to her bedroom down the hall from her mother's room, and saw as she climbed into bed, still in her dress from the day. "Goodnight, dear. I love you."

"Love you too, dad." She mumbled, sleep overcoming her. Her father shut off the light and closed the door softly, stepping into the hall before letting any of his tears fall. He knew his wife would be upset in her room, and he went back to console her. Soon, he would need to go back into Madge's room and pack a bag for the essential things that he knew she would want to have in District 13, but wanted to make sure the sleep syrup he had given her in her tea would be in full affect so she wouldn't waken.

Then, shortly thereafter, a hovercraft would come and take her far away from District 12 where she would be safe.


	2. Waking Up

Madge woke from a deep slumber, her limbs heavy with grogginess. Surely she had slept for at least 12 hours, perhaps more.  _Why am I so groggy? I feel like I've been drugged…_  She thought to herself as she rolled over, snuggling into the sheets while she debated whether or not she wanted to go back to sleep.

She paused.

Her sheets weren't this scratchy or stiff.

She peeked her eyes open, filled with a sudden, irrational fear. What she saw multiplied the fear and adrenaline coursing through her body.

She wasn't in her room, tucked away safely in her bed. No, she was in a small cramped room with white floors, white walls, and a bed covered in gray sheets. She sat up slowly, taking in her surroundings with wide eyes.

Madge froze as her body tensed; her mind running through the possibilities of what was happening to her and where she could possibly be.

_This isn't my room. This isn't my house. District 12 has no buildings that look like this inside. Where am I? Where are my parents?_

She screamed.

A loud, bloodcurdling scream of terror as she unleashed all the fear she was feeling. She jumped out of bed, running to the door on the wall opposite the bed she had woken up in. Yanking on the doorknob, nothing happened.  _I'm locked in. Oh no… No no no!_ Madge began screaming louder, banging on the door and clawing at the edges in an attempt to an escape. She scratched and clawed and screamed until her fingers bled and her voice went hoarse.

Finally, she collapsed on the ground and began to sob.

_What am I supposed to do?_

Shortly after she had fallen to the floor, a crackling sound filtered through a small speaker in the ceiling.

"Miss Undersee, please return to the bed. Once you do so, someone will step into the room and explain to you what has happened." A feminine voice came through the static.

Madge jumped, alarmed at the voice. Looking suspiciously at the door, she backed up slowly to her bed, her eyes never leaving the sight in front of her. Her muscles tensed and she balled her fists, tears still streaking down her face. Wiping her nose with her arm, an unladylike action under normal circumstances, but she found herself uncaring because she was unwilling to release her fists and relax her hands. They were her only weapons against the people who had taken her.

A knock on the door alerted her to someone's presence outside the room. It must have been a warning that they were about to open the door, because only seconds later it inched open slowly. A tall man with broad shoulders stepped in the room, dressed in plain gray clothing. He looked unassuming and wasn't intimidating in any way, so Madge eyed the door he held propped open.

"Don't think about running. There isn't anywhere you can go down here." He spoke softly. If she hadn't been so terrified from waking up in a foreign place, the sound of his voice would have been calming.

"Who are you and what do you want with me?" She spat out at him, her words venomous and her eyes glaring.  _What the hell did he mean by "down here?"_

"You're in District 13, Madge. We brought you here to keep you safe." He replied, letting the door close behind him with a faint  _click._

She laughed sardonically. "Sure, right, because they weren't blown to smithereens a long time ago. Try something a little more believable, will you?" She was hit by a sudden streak of bravery.  _If they wanted to torture me they wouldn't have put me in a clean bed with a pillow and sheets. They would have dumped me in a dank cell somewhere._ "And what exactly do you mean by  _safe_? Last time I checked, I was safe at home in my bed until I woke up here!" Her anger was getting out of control. She forced herself to breath slowly, willing herself not to attack the man in front of her. She didn't want to play games or beat around the bush.  _I want answers._

"Madge, I'm sorry, but you've been asleep for almost 36 hours. Your father gave you a dose of sleep syrup that was much too high for someone of your weight, but I assume that's because he wanted to make sure you stayed asleep during the transport-" He was cut off by Madge.

" _What?_  Why would my father give me sleep syrup? Why do you keep saying that I'm in District 13?  _There is no District 13!"_ Her voice became even more shrill and hysteric than it already was.

"Please, calm down. District 13 exists; it always has. We had a bit of a standoff with the Capitol and ended up going underground in exchange for our freedom from their twisted sense of politics. They bombed the surface of the district to cover what had happened." He sighed, obviously not wanting to explain this to Madge. "That aside, your father gave you the sleep syrup in order to get you out of District 12. Everyone there was in danger, and he managed to get you out before…" He trailed off, eyeing her in anticipation of an attack. She looked unstable, her fists tense and her muscles shaking.

"You said 12  _was_  in danger. Before what?" Her voice waivered. She was filled with a potentially dangerous mix of dread, fear, and anger.

"Well," He cleared his throat, obviously uncomfortable with the subject. "There's been a rebellion against the Capitol brewing and some things happened in the arena with Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark. A few other victors from the Quell were involved and President Snow lashed out, as we anticipated he would. District 12 no longer exists. He ordered a bombing of the entire district and directed that the entire population of 12 be destroyed." He waited, pausing to gauge Madge's reaction. She was frozen in place, unable to move. "We aren't sure if there are many survivors. The merchant district of 12 was bombed heavily, decimated actually, and it isn't likely your family survived."

Madge stood, her joints locked in place as the conflicting emotions drained from her body.  _No. This cannot be happening. This is a dream. I just need to wake up._  She was entirely numb.

With that thought, she forced her body to move. Not just to move, but to  _attack._  Screaming, she rushed towards the man and jumped on him, trying her hardest to scratch his face, punch him, or kick him. He had been anticipating her move, and quickly pulled a small syringe from his pocket before grabbing her arms to block her attack. In one swift motion he twisted her around and pushed the needle into her upper arm, pushing the liquid quickly into her system. Instantaneously, her body went limp and her eyes closed; Madge was once again drugged and dead to the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original themes and characters of THG are property of Suzanne Collins.


	3. A New Life

Madge laid in bed, wrapped in the standard issue gray sheets that District 13 had provided her. Her eyes glazed over as she stared at a nonexistent spot on the wall in front of her nose.  _I can't feel my limbs anymore. How peculiar…_  She thought in a daze, uncaring about her body or anything surrounding her. She knew she should be feeling pain at the news she had received once she had awoken a second time. Instead, her body felt empty, the space where her heart should have been was now an empty hole in her chest.  _Maybe it's my brain, maybe it's broken._

She didn't know.

She didn't care.

Madge once again lost her concentration, such as she had countless times over the last day and a half. Or, at least that's how long she assumed it had been. If she wasn't sleeping, she was staring at the wall, counting her breaths until her mind went blank. She refused the food they slipped through the door while she slept because the smell- let alone the very  _thought_  of food- made her nauseous. She had only left the bed twice, merely to use the small restroom behind a second door she had missed in her initial scan of the room. The second time she awoke, her thoughts came in a familiar drug-induced haze, accompanied by vague memories of her attacking the man who had told her where she was and why she was there. After she had woken up and peered around the room, a voice had crackled through the speaker in the ceiling.

" _Until you are deemed safe and no longer volatile, we cannot allow you to have face-to-face contact with anyone. We will update you on the situation of your district accordingly." With that, the room had gone silent around her. So, she went back to sleep._

She squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to remember the terror she felt when she arrived in this awful place. Those weren't memories she wanted to relive. Counting her breaths, her body and mind relaxed. A sudden commotion outside her door roused Madge from her blank thoughts. Slowly, she rolled over and locked her eyes on the door, not caring particularly if anyone came through it or not. She wasn't startled as it was thrown open with unexpected force, followed by yelling voices.

"Sir, you cannot go in there!" A female said sternly from behind the man who stood in the doorway staring at Madge. Not the same man she'd attacked, she managed to notice.

He shrugged her off and strode in the room before closing the door firmly behind himself. They were enveloped in the same quiet that Madge had grown accustomed to until he spoke. "Madge, my name is Otto. I knew your father." He waited for her reaction. There was none.

"It's been a five days since District 12 was bombed."  _Have I really been here that long?_ Her thoughts were confused but he continued on. "You've been catatonic ever since waking up from our sedative. Our search team has only just now located the refugees from the woods outside 12." He waited again for a reaction, a sign of hope from her that she may believe her parents were alive. Still she stared at him with blank eyes.

"Your father made a deal to get you out of the district before anything happened. He made that deal with me. I don't need to look at the preliminary refugee inventory logs to know he didn't survive. His intention was to save you because he knew he would need to stay with your mother if disaster struck. It did."

As his words hung in the air, Madge began to feel an inkling of pain creeping into her chest. The only thing she could bring herself to do was blink.

"Madge, your father did not sacrifice himself so you could starve yourself and waste away in a safe, protected district. I knew him for a long, long time; since before your mother got sick and before you were even born. He was an honorable man and he loved you. Now, he may not have shown it as well as he should have in the last few years, but I will  _not_  allow you to do this to yourself. He trusted me to protect you, to get you out of the district and made a deal to ensure that you could live your life here." The man crossed his arms in front of his chest with determination.

She blinked in response.

"You cannot betray his last dying wish. You are a strong girl, I know you are; I've heard him tell stories about you. You can get through this, not continue to sleep your life away in the ward. I will not allow it. From now on, you are under my care. Come with me, and I will show you to our living quarters." He held out his hand to her.

She stayed silent for another moment, her eyes still locked on him. Tentatively she sat up and stood on the floor, only then realizing how weak and frail her body had become.

After following Otto blindly down the identical, winding halls, he stopped in front of a door labeled with the numbers '708' in stiff black font. "This is home. We are 7 floors underground, along with the rest of the compound. We live below the rubble on the surface because it's safer to live down here." He explained quickly, opening the door and ushering her in. The entire time she had followed him silently, only going where he directed.  _Why am I following him? He could be a criminal for all I know._

He closed the door behind him and she took in her surroundings. Plain furniture neutrally colored, just everything else she had seen in this place. A small couch and chair sat in the corner with a table in front of it, the room opening up in the far corner to a tiny kitchenette with counters, cabinets and a sink. To her left was a short hallway with three doors, she counted as she looked around. A dining table near the hallway was set up in the extra space with four chairs stationed around it.  _Home?_

"Standard issue living quarters here in District 13. You can see the living area, dining area, and kitchen; down the hall is the bathroom, as well as my room and your own." She turned at his voice, giving him a curious look but not saying a word.

Apparently he understood her unspoken questions, because he led her to the three doors in the hall. Opening one, he showed her "This is the bathroom. We'll obviously be sharing, so I'm sorry about that." It was simple and bare, with white walls and white floors. A shower, toilet, mirror and sink were the only things inside. He continued on to the second door, opening it like he had the first. "This is your room." It was small, with a bed in the corner and the same bedding she had in "the ward" as Otto referred to it when he came to get her. A plain bedside table was topped with a lamp and a set of dressers were pushed up against the wall opposite the bed.

She walked to the bed and sat on the soft surface, looking around the room from her new angle. Madge froze as her eyes landed on a familiar looking bag sitting in the corner of the room. Seeing her body stiffen, Otto said softly, "Your father packed you a bag before we came to get you. He included some of your clothing and the necessities he thought you might need. I didn't think it was my place to unpack your things."

Her eyes grew watery. It was the first expression of feeling she had shown since attacking the man days ago, Otto noticed.

"I'll leave you to it, then. I'll be back with some dinner soon. And Madge?" He questioned, waiting for her to meet his eyes. When she did, he continued on. "You will eat something tonight."

With that final statement, he left the room and closed the door softly behind him. Her eyes traveled back to the bag sitting in the corner.

Not wanting to face the task just yet, she lay back on the bed and turned to face the wall.

* * *

Two days later, Madge sat on her bed, the bag packed with her things set in front of her. She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders with determination. Otto had been making her eat twice a day, supplying her with bland food that he had gotten permission to bring her. Each time she tried not to gag at the smell, but choked the food down without a word. Surprisingly, the more she ate the easier it became, although still not completely pleasant to her queasy stomach.

It was progress, he told her.  _This is the next step. I can't wear these scratchy clothes any longer._ She told herself, not quite believing the half-lie. Slowly she opened the bag, bracing herself for the sudden onslaught of emotions from seeing the things that would remind her of her home, her family,  _her life._

As she began pulling out her clothing, piece by piece, the tears began to fall. Letting them flow steadily, she welcomed the emotions after being numb for so long. Her favorite shoes, an old, worn out sweater, and a pair of soft cotton pants to sleep in were the first things she removed. Making the tears fall harder, she knew her father had chosen these things because she used them so often.

Her hands began to shake, but she continued on. A few more articles of clothing followed, but the items that lay at the bottom of the bag broke her conviction. A roughly sewn bear her mother had given her when she was a child sat next to a picture. She stopped, looking at the photo and taking it into her hands gently. It was one of the few they ever kept in the house as she grew up, making it feel delicate and fragile. It was taken years and years ago, on the steps of the justice building. Her round face was bright with pure happiness, showing a smile with a missing front tooth. On her sides her parents crouched down to her level, hugging her from each side with laughter on their faces.

Madge clutched the picture tight to her chest and began to sob.

That evening, Otto crept into her room. Knowing she had finally faced unpacking the things her father had saved for her, he wasn't keen on pressing her too much.

"Madge?" He touched her shoulder lightly as he reached her bed. She turned over slowly and looked at him, her eyes still red from crying so hard earlier in the day. "I don't want to force you to eat tonight, but I can't let you lock yourself away again. If you can't eat, then I want to see you get out of this apartment and take a short walk. That's all. I'll let you choose."

She thought for a moment, relieved he wasn't going to force her to eat when she was upset; which equaled a nauseous stomach, she had come to realize. Sighing, she sat up and ran her hands over her face, attempting to rub the swollen eyes and red irritated nose away. She grabbed a gray jacket that had been issued to her from the other side of her bed where she had tossed it, then stood up to find her shoes.

He gave her a small smile. "Don't go too far, I don't want you getting too lost. Just remember '708' means we're on the 7th floor down, in the 8th hallway. If you go to the end of the hall just look for a number at the top of the wall and it'll tell you which one you're in." He had told her all of this before on the day she arrived while she attempted to choke down her first meal.

She nodded and offered him a faint smile, still mute. She walked towards the front door, forcing herself to turn the knob and step out into the hall. Technically it was the first time she had left the apartment since Otto had brought her, but he was understanding about it all, not wanting to push her too far or too much. It was obvious to her that he had her best interests in mind, but that didn't necessarily make it any easier.

The door clicked closed behind her and Madge drew in a deep breath. She pulled the jacket on to her arms and tight around her body in an attempt to comfort her nerves.

Looking around, the hallway was barren and silent.  _Maybe I'll just walk up and down this hall a few times. Hopefully no one will come around the corner…_  The thought of coming into contact with another person filled Madge with a sense of fear that was foreign to her.

Shaking off the irrational anxiety, she turned to her left and walked slowly down the corridor. Her shoes squeaked on the floor, the only noise filling the space. When she reached the end she turned and walked down another hall, surprisingly comforted by the activity. She only chose to walk down a new hall after peeking around the corner to check that it was empty. At this time of night, they all appeared to be.

After walking down several more hallways, her legs began to grow weak.  _That'll happen when you lay in bed for a week, I suppose._  Bracing herself on the wall, she slid her body down to the floor to rest; unready to go back inside and risk the desire to go back to sleep.  _Imagine that, it's gotten so bad that a walk in a cramped hallway feels like an escape._  Deciding that when she regained some strength, she would attempt to navigate her way back.

* * *

Gale paced his living room, ready to tear his hair out. District 13 was driving him crazy. He marched around in circles, frustrated that he couldn't leave and go into the woods to clear his head.  _I swear I'm suffocating down here._

"Gale?" Rory peeked around the corner with a worried look on his face. "Maybe you should go take a walk. You're starting to scare Posy…" His brother had been playing with their little sister in the kitchen, trying to rid her of her childish energy before bedtime.

"Where am I supposed to go, Rory? We're  _underground_." He snapped at him, irritated at the entire situation.  _I never thought I'd see the day where I would prefer District 12 over a safe home free of peacekeepers._

Rory simply gave him a pointed look, knowing why his older brother was so bristly. Gale huffed and walked towards the door. "Fine. I'll be back in a while." He closed the door behind him and took a deep breath, trying to settle his anger. Deciding on a whim to go to his left, he began to wander.

After only just a few minutes of walking, he stood in front of an elevator.  _May as well explore some more of this place, right? Considering I'm about to live my life as a mole I should probably get to know where I'll be living._ He rolled his eyes to himself and stepped into the elevator. He quickly punched the button in the middle with his finger.  _Looks like I'm going to the 7_ _th_ _floor._

Moments later the doors opened with a soft  _ding_  and Gale stood in front of an empty corridor. Stepping out of the elevator, he shoved his pockets and continued walking like he had done on his floor. He spent a while observing his surroundings, noting that the halls and doors all looked identical compared to on the 5th floor, where he lived with his family.  _They really do love their uniformity down here, don't they?_  His sardonic thoughts filtered through his attempt at calming down.

Gale rounded a corner and lifted his head when something caught his eye. Something out of place compared to the empty halls around him.

 _Why is someone sitting on the floor?_ He paused his steps, sure that they hadn't heard his naturally light and silent tread. He looked closer, struggling to make out the details on the person at the opposite end of the hall as he stood. Deciding to investigate, he creeped closer.

A head of long blond hair rested on thin arms that were propped up on equally thin legs. She sat crouched on the floor, breathing lightly.  _Why in the hell is she so thin?_  As he got closer, he could make out the faint protrusion of her elbow bones through the fabric of her jacket and bony wrists peeked out from the sleeves.

She must have sensed his presence or heard him approaching; her entire body jumped as she was startled by his sudden appearance and her face filled with a terrified look, blue eyes wide as saucers.

He froze.  _Madge?_  He knew those blue eyes from the visits to the backdoor of Mayor Undersee's house.  _No. Her house was destroyed with the bombs. She wasn't with us. She's dead._ His brain went into hunting mode, assessing the situation as he tried to figure out why the girl in front of him looked like Madge Undersee.

As he was trying to separate his thoughts, she jumped to her feet on uncoordinated legs and turned the corner she was sitting near. Hearing her feet hitting the floors in an attempt to run away, his instincts kicked into gear as he registered her steps echoing away. Running in her direction, he reached the end of the hall and threw his body around the corner to gain more momentum. Surely he could catch her; there was no doubt about it.

The hall was empty.

She was nowhere to be seen.

With a huff, Gale shook his head.  _This place really is driving me insane._  He thought to himself, turning on his heel and heading home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original characters and themes are property of Suzanne Collins.


	4. Progress

A few days had passed, and Madge had made progress. Her appetite coming back in small bouts made it easier to eat, while questions forming in her mind about the place she was in cut through the fog of pain and heartache. It hadn't gotten easier living with the knowledge that she had no family left, but she began to adapt. After all, adapting was her second nature. When her mother had fallen ill, Madge had been the one to take up watch over her while she slept, administering medicine and checking to ensure she wasn't in pain. After her father had grown absent in the wake of his wife's illness, Madge was forced with the reality that she had to take care of herself around the house; cooking, cleaning, staying busy and out of the way.

Living in 13, she tried to remind herself that she had been on her own for a long time.  _I should be used to feeling alone by now._ Some days her thoughts were enough to take the edge off the sting, long enough to investigate her home if Otto wasn't around, but never enough to venture back out into the labyrinth of hallways.

Each night since her walk, as she closed her eyes, images of Gale Hawthorn's face filled her mind. The way he had quietly snuck up on her, eyebrows knitted in confusion as he tried to determine who she was.  _He doesn't realize I got out,_ she would sigh to herself.  _No one does._

Upon seeing him that night, her heart raced frantically and her body had rushed with adrenaline. She had felt something like prey to his intense gaze. Her flight instinct kicked in, saving herself before he was able to catch her. But only barely.

She couldn't risk it again, someone from District 12 seeing her. What would she say?  _Oh, I woke up here, drugged, and apparently saved by my father due to his political connections. I got to come here safe and sound while you were bombed, sorry._

No. She had been living her entire life with the sneers from both merchants and Seam folk alike, all assuming she was the spoiled daughter of the mayor. Assuming that she got handed everything on a silver platter while they had to work their hands to the bone and go hungry.

Madge had been something of an outcast in District 12, falling in between the Seam and merchant classes. She was something else entirely. The merchant kids at school didn't trust her for being so close in proximity to the Capitol and the peacekeepers, while the seam children didn't want anything to do with her because she had more than they did. The only thing that had saved her from complete insanity was her quiet interactions with Katniss Everdeen.

Her only friend.

_Is she even alive now?_

She hadn't realized that she had fallen into a daze until Otto walked in the door, carrying two silver metal trays, breaking her train of thought.

"Dinner, Madge. Are you okay?" He noticed her intense gaze on the far wall as he walked in, but now she was looking at him. She nodded and walked over to the table.

As she sat down across from Otto and began to eat, he launched into his customary recap of the happenings around District 13. Each time they ate Otto did this, most likely to fill the silence, Madge assumed. It was always trivial things, like the food they were serving and how some were continuously upset he got to take food from the mess hall, or the jobs that were being occupied by the new refugees from 12.

"What do you do?" Madge's voice came out, scratchy and faint.

Otto froze, his gaze slowly lifting up from his tray. As if trying not to scare away a mouse, he lightly set down his fork and clasped his hands in his lap. "I worked for a defense team in the Capitol before joining the rebellion. I stayed in the Capitol and relayed all the information here that I could, until joining the District 13 Division of Defense just a few weeks before you arrived." He was slightly confused at her abrupt question. Of all the things to ask, she was curious about his job? His confusion was cleared when she motioned to the food in front of them.

She was smart and observant; she had been listening when he mentioned residents of 13 being angry that he was given special treatment to take food from the mess hall, he realized.  _Why do you get to take food?_  was her real question.

He smiled, happy to see that she wasn't catatonic anymore. "District 13 thrives on continuity and conformity. They like everything to be scheduled, regimented, and strict. People used to hoard food around here, until they put a stop to it. Now, I get certain exceptions to the rules, because you're here. I'm respected among the rest of the officials so they're allowing it.  _For now._ " He added to the end of the statement, making sure she understood that she would have to leave sooner or later.

He didn't add that the main reason he had been allowed to bring her food was because they didn't want her making a scene in the mess hall or hurting anyone.

She glanced around the room and Otto tried to decipher what she was thinking. Again she spoke, her voice weak from disuse. "Do all the homes look like this?"

He sighed, sadness creeping on to his face. "No, these quarters are designated for families, mostly. Most living compartments are fit for two people, and it's only a shared bedroom and a bathroom. Officials without families are the only residents permitted to live in single compartments."

Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. He didn't need to ask to know what she had been thinking. "I had a family; a wife and a son. We were supposed to flee and live here together for the rebellion, but they never made it out of the Capitol." He cleared his throat, willing the tears that were forming in his eyes to go away. "But, plans changed and I-, I needed to help you. I couldn't have you locked up in the ward any longer or be forced into a compartment with someone else before you were ready. When I told them what I wanted to do, the rest of the officials allowed it."

Madge's eyes filled with sadness and tears of her own, wishing she could comfort him in some way. They were both lost; both without families because of the Capitol.

"Looks like we're family now, aren't we?" Otto laughed slightly, wiping the moisture from his eyes; for the first time Madge smiled back.

He needed her just as much as she needed him.

* * *

Gale pounded on the compartment door of Haymitch Abernathy. It wasn't early, it was almost noon, but when the door finally opened, Haymitch braced himself on the doorframe and squinted, "What do you want?" His voice was heavy with sleep.

"I want to do something-" Gale began, but the old man cut him off.

"Then go do it." He began to shut the door, but Gale's hand shot out and slammed the door open. He wasn't in the mood for the old drunk, or his games. He was only here because he didn't know who else to go to.

"Listen, I want to  _help._ I want to be a solider or an officer or  _anything_ to get out of my damn room and make a difference. I can't sit around and do nothing!"

Haymitch yawned. "Well, a responsible adult would tell you to finish school before going off to war, but what the hell; who am I to say if a kid is too young to die, right?" When Gale clenched his jaw and crossed his arms over his broad chest, Haymitch sighed. "Otto Lemswig, Division of Defense, 2nd floor. Tell him I sent you; he'll give you a job. Now go away." He shut the door in Gale's face, not bothering to wait to see if he needed anything else. That was all the help he was willing to give out today.

Gale wasn't surprised at Haymitch's behavior, hence why he avoided dealing with the abrasive old man as much as possible. He'd repay the gratitude later, he decided.

Going to the elevators and traveling up to the 2nd floor, Gale tried not to grow giddy at the thought of being made a soldier.  _Being a solider means leaving this underground hole, getting fresh air…_  The thought made him long to be above ground once again. Every day since he had arrived he was plagued with the same sudden desire. Being underground reminded him of the mines, although he could admit this place was better than an unstable tunnel with coal dust-filled air. At least here there was no danger of being reaped, being whipped by a peacekeeper, and he never had to worry about Rory, Vick, or Posy taking out a tesserae.

He wanted to hate this place as much as possible, but he couldn't avoid admitting it had its perks.

After Gale left the elevator and traveled down the long hallway on the 2nd floor, he encountered two guards. "Name and clearance." The one on the left demanded of him.

"Gale Hawthorn, no clearance. I was sent by Haymitch Abernathy to speak with Otto Lemswig." He replied, hopeful that Haymitch's referral wouldn't let him down.

Apparently it was good enough, because the guard nodded. "Follow me." He began walking further down the hall. Without needing further prompting, Gale followed. Around corners and through a series of doors all marked with "APPROVED PERSONNEL ONLY" Gale was left standing in front of a door. A plaque to the left read "Otto Lemswig, Head Officer, Division of Defense."

Steeling his nerves, Gale knocked on the door and held his breath until he heard a response.

"Come in."

Willing himself to relax, Gale opened the door and stepped into the office, taking in the man in front of him. He could have only been a few years younger than his mother, Gale assumed, but with a head of completely gray hair. His dark blue eyes pierced through Gale when he looked up at him from his paperwork; intimidating him with his assurance. His build was strong, like his, but the telltale signs of a hard life showed in the crinkles around his eyes and the frown lines around his mouth.

Seeing as he was waiting for Gale to introduce himself, he stepped forward. "Gale Hawthorn, sir. Haymitch Abernathy sent me."

Otto nodded and motioned to the chair sitting in front of his desk. "Make this quick, son. I have a lot on my plate right now. I'll be heading back to my quarters soon so I don't have much time." He looked pointedly at the clock on the wall.

Gale cleared his throat. "Well, I wanted to offer my skills for the rebellion. I'm one of the refugees from District 12. I'll do anything you need."

"First, let's start off with what you can do. What particular skills do you have?" He prompted, setting his paperwork aside and grabbing a blank sheet of paper.

Gale launched into an explanation of his life in 12, with the time spent in the woods hunting, designing snares, and fantasizing about his strategy for rebelling against the district and the Capitol. He told him about his days working in the mines, planning with the other workers what they would have done to overthrow the peacekeepers.

For a few moments after Gale finished, the man said nothing, only scribbling down notes on to his piece of paper. Finally, he looked up. "I've got just the thing. You'll be assigned as a soldier, but I'll be upping your clearance. I'm thinking you'll do well in our weapons division. Those snares you designed will come in handy on a larger scale, I'm sure."

Gale couldn't stop the smile from crossing his face. "Thank you, sir. I appreciate the opportunity."

Otto stood from his desk and held his hand out. As Gale shook his hand, his tone turned grave, "I don't want you to forget that you're going to be a solider, and there's a good chance you'll be killed if you go into battle. I know you're feeling valiant and ready to sacrifice yourself for the cause, but never forget who will be heartbroken after losing you if you were to die. Don't be too ready to rush off, Mr. Hawthorn." He gave Gale a pointed look. "Now, go on. I'll have someone send for you tomorrow to get the details about your assignment settled."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original characters and themes are property of Suzanne Collins.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, all characters and aspects of THG are property of Suzanne Collins.


End file.
